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Journalism of Courage
In a major step towards ensuring peace in Manipur, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today that he will consider replacing the Armed Forced Special Powers Act (AFSPA) with a more ‘‘humane’’ one, while ensuring that national security concerns are addressed.
After meeting a 10-member delegation of Apunba Lup—the umbrella forum representing 32 underground organisations—Singh said he will visit the state by this month-end and begin ‘‘a new chapter in the history of Manipur’’.
According to Prof Arambam Lokendra, who led the delegation today, Singh also assured them that those guilty of Manorama Devi’s death in July, which sparked off the latest wave of protests against the AFSPA, will be punished.
But the delegation made it clear that they wanted the Act to be scrapped and not just amended, he said.
The PM, Lokendra told reporters, expressed ‘‘hope, prayer and belief’’ that everyone involved in the peace process would work well together and assured the delegation that human rights in the state will be protected.
However, the meeting did strike a slightly discordant note when the PM asked the delegation to continue talks with Home Minister Shivraj Patil tomorrow.
Lokendra expressed the delegation’s reluctance to meet Patil, saying the people of Manipur had already met the Home Minister and ‘‘had the taste of him’’ during the peak of their agitation against the AFSPA.
But after the PM’s suggestion, he said the delegation would decide on meeting Patil after internal discussions.
Patil’s visit to Manipur in September to resolve the crisis failed after talks with Apunba Lup representatives broke down.
‘‘We have come with a heavy responsibility, representing the people of Manipur. Manipur wants the AFSPA to be removed, and that was our one-line demand to the PM. We told him about the problems that the Act has caused for the last 46 years,’’ said Lokendra.
If an anti-terror Act like POTA can be repealed after only three years, why can’t AFSPA be removed after causing so much damage for 46 years, he asked.
On their part, the Apunba Lup has taken a step towards peace by suspending two of their protest programmes—ban on teaching Hindi in schools and the NCC, he said.
On the other side, the state government has withdrawn cases against 36 activists to pave the way for the delegation to reach New Delhi for talks, said Lokendra, adding that it was the result of their talks with Manipur Governor S S Sidhu.
The PM, Lokendra said, gave them a patient and sympathetic hearing and expressed concern about the people of Manipur not having any civil and political liberties. The Apunba Lup representative said the PM expressed some security-related concerns too, which the delegation took note of. ‘‘The state has its reasons and the people have their own. A common ground has to be found. We want to take the process forward and reach a constructive resolution to the problem. I cannot say whether I am pessimistic or optimistic, but I am sceptical,’’ said Lokendra.
